Oldsmobile Alero

Comments

Problem is: I just bought a brand new '99 Ford Escort last year. I love it..it works great...just would like to have an Alero. Can anyone tell me if this would be a wise move seeing I have only had this car for about a year? Would the banks/financers look at that negatively? What about trading my car in? Would I lose? My car is in close to excellent shape, less than 16,000 miles.

Every year, car makers come up with new and exciting models. The only strategy that makes sense financially is to keep your existing vehicle for as long as the cost of maintenance stays reasonable. Personally, I probably would have bought an Alero last year, a PT Cruiser this year and a Tribute next year, if I didn't make efforts to stick with my existing vehicle.

For anyone who has lost faith in GM customer service let me tell you my mom's experience with her 99 Alero GL.

She had a problem with the "trac-off" light constantly coming on and techs unable to find a code and fix it. A few months ago the "service engine soon" light began coming on also and both happening more frequently.

9 trips to the dealer and no fix. But the car rode and performed just fine.

She contacted the BBB and notified GM that she wanted to arbitrate to get the car replaced. Well, guess what. No hassles, they offered to buy it back if she would agree to buy a new one.But they said it had to be done at the same dealer it was purchased at. So we drove over to the dealer and looked at the inventory. The only color and one with the same equipment as the 99 was a Silver 2000 GL2 coupe. They gave her this car to drive for a few hours and I examined it thoroughly. I was surprised in the poor condition of this new car. It only had 80 miles on the clock; the factory plastic still covered the carpet and radio face. But there were no less than 5 paint chips (down to the black primer), the leather-wrapped gear shifter was loose, and the lower rear window molding was peeling away. My mom didn't really love the color - she thinks the silver is a drab color and after I pointed out the damage she was afraid to take it. The only other color that she kind of liked was Ruby Red. We returned it and at that point their only option was to order a 2001.

The next day the fast-talking salesman calls and says he got a fresh shipment and there was a Ruby Red now on the lot! We went over and he brought it up front, washed, so we could inspect it. Well, let me tell you guys, this one was almost as brand new as you could get and in much better condition (it had not been abused on test drives!!). The odometer had 5 miles and all the stickers were on, including the one that said the car was shipped from the factory loading dock on 8/7/2000 at 8:25am!!!!!!! Ruby Red/Grey cloth, with spoiler and feature package (15" alloys, leather steer wheel, remote keyless entry), and a CD player. I did not find any production damage but we did not drive it.

This dealership, Coral Springs Automall, has salesmen that lie. Beware. We had to spend 6 hours there as they haggled on the phone with GM about dealer service fees. The paperwork has to go thru GM before the car is released so we left the Lemon with them and drove up here to Alabama in my car and the Alero will be shipped on a truck later this month. The salesman marked it "hold do not sell". I can't wait to get it.

For Your info here are some changes and observations about the 2001s:

*The easy way to tell a 99 from a 00 or 01 is the rocker panel under the doors that goes from the front wheel well to the rear wheel well. It is more curved. The 99 is rather flat. I looked at both coupes side by side. *The Remote Keyless Entry is included in the feature pkg now so nearly all Aleros will have it. *The 99 hood had gas struts but the 01 has a simple prop rod. I looked at a cpe and a sedan and both have the rod. I don't know if the strut is only for GLS models now but that is a bad move. Any upscale car should have struts for the hood. *All 2001 models have RDS radios. That's Radio Data System which displays extra info that the radio station sends like call letters & traffic info. Not all radio stations broadcast like this today but in a few years more will. This necessitates a larger LED display panel and redesigned face, including new buttons and dials which match the new designed A/C dials. *Sticker price of the model my mom is getting is $19,935. *Gold color is not available but a new one called "Sandstone" is - it just looks like a dull tan.

I'm glad that your mom's situation turned out well. BTW, the 2001 Aleros have a larger "Oldsmobile" badge on the rear don't they. I'll agree the move to a prop rod from the struts on the hood is a cheap move, but they did add additional features eleswhere so GM had to do something to please the bean counters. Hope you guys enjoy the 2001.

Finally! It's been a love-hate relationship with my Alero (as noted by my previous posts), but I found someone who could fix that pesky water leak I've endured since the day I brought my car home. Of course, MY dealer spent 13 days and 3 visits and never got it right because they were doing what GM recommended they do (replace the deflectors in the doors). Well, while I was visiting my parents in upstate NY, I popped in to the Olds dealer my dad uses and asked them about Alero water leaks. They figured out a way to fix it that only takes about an HOUR. Apparently, the drain holes at the bottom of the coupe doors are too small...during a heavy downpour, water pools in faster than it can drain out. So, the simple fix is to enlarge the drain holes, then touch up the paint. They had to take the door panels apart, but it was a quick and easy fix and NO PROBLEMS TO DATE despite the heavy rains we've endured.So, for those of my Alero brethren with leaky coupes....if your dealers can't stop the leaks by simply replacing the deflectors (as GM recommends), try the drain-hole enlargement. It worked for me. Now I'm back to loving my midnight blue GLS again :-)

'99 Alero, rotors turned in May 2000 with 20k miles. 3 months later same shaking and service manager says rotors are on backorder for Alero. That was 7 weeks ago. He has never called, funny thing is the parts department said they knew nothing of backordered rotors. From what I have read here I see I should also get the pads replaced too free. One of my water leaks are from the A/C not draining good on long trips and the water spills inside when turning. This has also caused a bad mildew smell when using vent air. I noticed a stain in the carpet in my backseat floorboard it looks rusty but I do not feel wetness..is this a result of a leakage. I have also had the gasket replaced on passenger side front door for a leak. We thought it was ok until a carwash told us differently. One morning I turn the key and nadda, nothing, not a click but I could jump it. They replaced the post on the battery (Delco problem I presume) but acid leaked on garage floor and made a unremovable spot. To be honest, this Alero v-6 Gl is the spunkiest car I have ever driven. The passing speed and handleing on curves are great. I want my problems fixed so I can keep it.I traded in an '97 Intrepid for this car. Now, tell me someone about the stains in the carpet...I thank you all for all this info about the leaks and brakes, it gives me ammo when returning to dealership!

This is Daisyduke again, I have a 2000 Alero Coupe that has the rattle/vibrating noise in the dash by the windsheild I am also experiancing a lot of wind noise coming from the driver side window. Is anyone else having this problem, and what should I do about it, is this just normanl? Other than that I love the way the car drives and handles.....

I washed my Alero for the first time today. Whenever I wash my cars I open the doors, hood and trunk to wipe around the door frames, lips etc with a damp cloth. Unfortunately with the ALero I didn't need a damp cloth as all these palces were sopping wet. Is this normal. No water leaked into the car but I am concerned about long term water damage with water sitting in these places. I assume it must also happen when it rains. Has anyone else noticed this?

I'm also concerned about this water freezing in cold weather. THis could make the doors, trunk and hood frozen shut if it turns very cold after a rain storm during the winter. (I had a similar problem with a Toyota many years ago). For those who went through a winter with their Alero, has this been a problem.

The Alero is the first domestic car i've ever owned. The quality of the ride, comfort etc is on a par with Toyota, Honda etc etc. But today in cleaning the car, I cut my hand twice on rough metal places. In addition, it looks like the Alero is put together like an erector set with all teh bolts, nuts etc. The imports have a much more professional look to them. This is just my 2 cents.

Awhile back in surfing the net I found an ALero website. I was kind of neat. Theere was an Alero of the month with a picture and other stuff that Alero owners contributed. I don't believe that it was sanctioned by Olds. Has anyone else found it. if so, can you give me the website address. I thought I had saved it but when I try to go to it I get a crazy site. Thanks for your help.

well i made my first dealer trip to have the oil changed and the emergency boot replaced-it had torn already. i also asked them to look into the noise heard only when driving in wet weather. i've asked about this on here before and was told it was normal, however i don't think it should be. the are ordering the weather stripping that spans the top of the doors on the passenger side. i don't think it will help since the noise comes from the lower area of the doors on both sides. although they didn't give it a wash because their detailer had just quit, they took care of the oil change at no charge! also does anyone else with cloth seats get shocked everytime you get out of the car? my wife is making me ask this one. no rattles or water leaks. gas mileage with v6 has gone up to around 22 city whish is impressive. i tried to find a bug deflector at autozone-they said nobody made one for the alero so i went to checker and they wanted $75 dollars for one! i said forget it, i'll keep looking. does gm make one? i forgot to ask when i was at the dealer. as for the different gaps in the trunk area-the dealer told me "you don't want to mess with adjusting this-they make it this way so water won't leak in." bull, he just didn't want to mess with it. otherwise very happy with this car and can't wait to have the windows tinted! then it will be perfect!

In my previous post #101 complaining about water entering the door frames as well as the inside metal edges of the trunk and hood, I neglected to make one comment. Abotu 2 weeks ago while driving in the rain I drove by a construction site. The road was very muddy and it splatterd on the drivers side of the car. Yesterday I found the same muddy splatter marks inside the door frame.

I talked a friend into an Alero this weekend. She takes delivery in two weeks and is very excited. She was going to get a 4cyl Accord, but decided give the Alero a try. She got a 6cyl Alero for around the same price.

Hopefully it will do as well as my mom's 99 GL which has been trouble free for 25K+.

Just read in one of my car mags (one of many I get, much to the dismay of my wife) that overseas,the alero is called the chevrolet alero! Its due to the fact that Caddillac and Chevrolet are the brands of USA GM's sold offshore. Typically they are sold out of Opel (Germany) or Vauxhall (UK)franchises. In another example, china the Buick Century is made and sold as the same.

How many of you out there know that the gray door panels on the 2000 Alero are real leather. They are not plastic? I just found out when the dealer was replacing one of my panels because of a blemish on the cloth insert. I verified this fact with the Oldsmobile people also. This fact was never told to me when I was buying my Alero. I thought the panels were a soft plastic. Don't put vinyl protector on these panels . You might have a problem later. By the way I am pushing 10,000 miles on my car and I still love it. It is a great car and a bargain for the price I paid for it. Especially now that I find that the door panels are leather.

I'm looking into buying an alero 2000 GL.Thanks for all the great info especially about the leaks.That problem will definetely be discussed with my dealer. I'm very concerned about this since I live in Canada and we do have heavy rainfall in the spring and we do have very cold weather. This problem could be a serious issue for me. I've been researching this car for the last couple of days and this is the most informative site I have found!! Any advice before I go to the dealer would be greatly appreciated.

Make sure the rotors and brake pads are the upgraded versions. Many of us had to have them replaced (free by the dealer) because of a defective design. Make the dealer replace them at no charge before you take delivery.

I'm also in Canada and I have a 2000 4-dr Alero v-6. V-6 s definately the way to go. As for the water leaks, I've seen no evidence of it. The rotors on the other hand I've had replaced supposedly with the redesigned ones. They seem to be warping again, but it might be my alignment, I'll let everyone know when I get my wheels rotated. You might want to check out egroups.com and joing the Alero newsgroup or www.alero.org. Both are great sources of information. Also, if you do choose to purchase the Alero, I strongly recommend getting the K&N air filter, you'll find the model number on the .org website.Good luck!

Someone wrote here they found out they had leather on thier doors. Having read this I checked my '00 Intrigue GL (w/o leather seat to boot) and sure enough, what I thought was leather look plastic on the door is the real thing. of course I also smelled it up close to verify, but then my wife looks out in the garge to see me on all fours with my node up against the door panel. I had some "splainin" to do. Thanks to whomever posted this about the doors originally. It was a nice surprise to say the least!p.s. But come on Olds, why not say this in the brouchure and even tell the dealers to point this out?

heng and darkworlder, thanks for the info, will check out org site for more info, still haven't made the purchase yet, looking for a silver or may go with midnight blue, this is all good info to go to the dealer with, I'm sure it will save me a few trips to the gm garage!!! will let you know if I officially become a member of this elite Alero group!

According to both the dealer and Oldsmobile, the door panels are real leather and not "leatherette". This makes a difference because if it is leatherette you use a "vinyl protector" on it to keep it looking good for yars but if it is leather then you use a "leather conditioner" to keep it looking good for years. These treatments are totally different so make sure you use only the leather conditionber because the inserts are real leather. Using the wrong stuff will cause damage to your real leather.

There are several companies that make wood dash kits. I am looking at some from www.woodtrim.com; www.salesco.com; www.woodcorp.com;and I understand there is another one on www.alero.org. Can anyone tell me from experience which company has the best looking wood dash kit and easy installation. I am considering rosewood as the material. I understand that there are several ways that these wood pieces are made and some look better than others because of the way they are manufactured. If anyone has direct experience or knowledge thereof please let me know. I am sure that other paries would also be interested because this addition can really dress up your Alero. Thanks.

Hi, everyone! I am a new member of Town hall. I have a question to all my cordial memebers. I have a 2000 Alero 4cyl. sedan. I feel like my Alero doesn't shift gears (especially 3th or 4th gear) properly. At and over 70 mile of speed it doent' shift down quickly or sometimes doesn't shift at all. I went to a dealership, but they said everyting is fine. They said Alero's overdrive is different from other automatic transmission. To speed over 75 miles are very hard and takes long time (even if it is illegal, we need to run that fast sometimes, right?). According to the manual, at the speed of over 65 mile, you have to push accelator all the way down. But it didn't work satisfactorily in my case. And very interestingly, today I found a website which shows defects of various cars. (http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/tsb/servicemmy1.cfm), and it says "SOME VEHICLES BUILT WITH 4T40E AND 4T45E TRANSAXLES MAY EXHIBIT A NO THIRD OR NO FOURTH GEAR CONDITION". Does anybody have the same problem as mine? Please help me figure out what's wrong with my car. I hope to hear many cordial responses of you all.

I am looking at buying a '99 GLS Coupe that has asunroof, spoiler, the performance suspensionpackage, and 23k miles for around $14.8 + tax. Asfar as I know this is a good deal, but if I amcompletely oblivious, please let me know. Thanks.

I had an interesting one. On my way to work with a little over quarter tank, my 2000 Alero Coupe (12K miles) just died. Turns out a electronic module on fuel pump went bad, which indicated I still had fuel. Quick dealer fix, plus Tow and Free rental car for the day. Bad Part#22631715